


Love is a Riddle

by Cornflower



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 12:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6984967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornflower/pseuds/Cornflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone assumed Hoshi was an idiot. Jihoon was one of these people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love is a Riddle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: sher-bot

 

 

Jihoon read the question on the white board for the third time:

 

1

11

21

1211

111221

312211

 

_What is the next number in the sequence?_

Jihoon wasn't bragging when he said he had a good head on his shoulders. He's mastered three instruments, and excells in pretty much everything he does. He had the highest GPA in school, but the one thing he's never been able to understand are riddles - or any sort of brain teaser that is. It might sound stupid to be so hung up over a skill that he will never need, but being the perfectionist he is it pissed him off.

 

"Do we really have to do this in Health class teach? I had a hard enough time in math first period, give a guy a break." The teacher didn't bat an eye at Seungcheol's remark. Of course Seungkwan being the diva he is had something to say,

 

"Hyung, why don't you do what you're good at and not think about it." 

 

Ignoring Seungkwan's jab at his best friend, Jihoon read the question for the fourth time. He knew it was a pattern, but the sequence had no logic whatsoever. He saw a hand fly up two seats across from him.

 

"Can a stupid person be a smart-ass? Cause Seungkwan's kinda being one." If there was one kid Jihoon would never understand, it was Hoshi. Going by his limited knowledge they've been going to school together since he enrolled as a high school freshman, but they've never spoken once. It was probably for the best - Hoshi always asked the dumbest questions. The kind only trolls on the internet would ask, except he always sounded genuinely curious.

 

"I dare you to say that again Kwon." Seungkwan sounded mad, but that's pretty much how he always sounded - around Jihoon anyway. He heard Jeonghan whisper to Joshua behind him,

 

"What makes it even funnier, is Hoshi wasn't going out of his way to insult him. He was being serious." The teacher cleared his throat,

 

"Are you done disrupting my class Hoshi?" The boy in question ruffled his bleached hair,

 

"Uh, actually can I go to the bathroom?" 

 

"If you get this question right you can." Hoshi squinted at the board,

 

"13112221." The teacher's eyes widened,

 

"That’s.. Correct." The class was in chaos,

 

"YOOOO."

 

"NAEGA HOSH."

 

"Better step up your game Jihoon." He was going to murder whoever said that. 

 

"How did you get that??" Hansol who was sitting behind Hoshi whispered loudly. Hoshi stood up abruptly,

 

"I'd love to tell ya, but I was serious when I said I had to go to the bathroom." He casually strolled out of the room once the teacher gave him the okay.

 

He didn't come back.

 

 

 

By lunch Jihoon had heard from an inside source (that source being none other than Lee Chan,) Hoshi had spent the remainder of second period taking a field trip around the school. When he asked Chan where he could find him, he said that his hyung is always somewhere he's not supposed to be.

 

"Right now it's lunch, so all I can tell you is he's definitely not in the cafeteria." Why was Jihoon curious about this idiot again? Maybe he was the real idiot - he couldn't even answer a simple brain teaser.

 

_Was he still thinking about that?_

 

Jihoon decieded to give up on Hoshi and thought about what he'd do about lunch.

 

Seungcheol and Jeonghan had soccer practise on Wednesday's so he might as well eat by himself. He usually studied at lunch anyway. He decided to find a secluded spot for himself in lieu of going to the library which is always crowded at lunch. There was a short stairway that led to the school basement that was always quiet - everyone else thought it was haunted. The scariest thing you'll find down there are some of their old school uniforms. Seriously, the uniforms used to be hideous.

 

Jihoon flicked on the light switch in the basement hallway before sitting on the bottom of the staircase. He had enough room to stretch his legs across the stairs horizontally, and set his lunch box on the step above him. While the lighting was dim and the basement was a tad cold, it was peaceful, plus it was the only place in school Jihoon could be by himself. He took out the book he was currently reading in Korean literature, and popped in his earphones. He only enjoyed the solitude for about 5 minutes before he was distracted by a faint sound of laughter getting closer. To his surprise, he looked up to see a figure struggling not to fall down the stairs,

 

"LOOK OUT-"

 

The next thing he knew, said person had jumped - successfully clearing the short staircase while barely missing his head. Jihoon wasn't surprised when it was Hoshi who turned around smiling widely,

 

"Heh, I don't know about you but I'd give that landing a solid 10. _Ten hour ten minute!_ " What was wrong with this guy? Jihoon didn't get what prompted the boy to yell out random numbers in english either. Some sort of trend, he guessed. 

 

When Jihoon didn't respond to any of his enthusiastic attempts of conversation,  Hoshi smiled apologetically, 

 

"Sorry about that. I was playing leap frog with Mingyu you see, and didn't see the stair case.." Hoshi turned his attention to Mingyu who was at the top of the stairwell,

 

"Some friend you are! Did you not think of mentioning the fact a flight of stairs were in front of you!?" Mingyu shrugged,

 

"It didn't seem important at the time." Jihoon sighed. He hated to admit it, but Mingyu was kind of his friend - to be more specific, they were in the same group of friends. Of course Mingyu was the youngest (and dumbest) of the bunch. They'd known each other for years, but he had no idea Mingyu and Hoshi were friends.

 

"Jihoon hyung, I see you're studying diligently. Shouldn't you take a break from school work during lunch though?" Mingyu asked, stealing a grape from his lunch box. Jihoon raised an eyebrow,

 

"And what? Go play leap frog with you? I'm not five." Jihoon's glare stopped Mingyu short of taking one of his sandwich's. 

 

"Aw, c'mon. I'm a growing boy." The younger whined. 

 

"So am I." Jihoon mocked. Mingyu's look of doubt was starting to piss him off. Jihoon had almost forgotten about Hoshi until Mingyu called him out,

 

"But seriously Hosh, that landing was sick - and I'm not just saying that cause the situation was pretty much my fault." Hoshi had the least intimidating scowl he'd ever seen,

 

"I almost fell to my death." 

 

"Yeah, the stairs were one thing, but if you ended up falling on Jihoon!? There's no saving you from that." Mingyu replied loudly. Jihoon sighed,

 

"Could you keep it down?" 

 

"What, we're not bothering anyone." Mingyu said in his stupid, booming voice. Yeah there was a staircase between them, but _really Mingyu?_ Jihoon brushed him off playfully, 

 

"Get lost before I kick your ass." 

 

Mingyu giggled, waving a quick goodbye before walking in the opposite direction. Hoshi was about to follow before Jihoon stopped him,

 

"You stay here." Hoshi looked confused and slightly worried,

 

"Uh-"

 

"I'm not mad." Jihoon assured him, "I just wanted to talk about the question this morning. How did you answer it?" Hoshi opened his mouth in thought,

 

"I can't remember what the question was." 

 

"That's okay - I wrote it down." Jihoon must look like a loser going as far as writing down a brain teaser that had nothing to do with the curriculum, but he was desperate. He opened his notebook to the neatly printed question, which he had tabbed with a blue sticky note. Hoshi sat beside him, leaning in to get a better look.

  _1_

_11_

_21_

_1211_

_111221_

_312211_

 

_What is the next number in the sequence?_

 

Hoshi grinned, as if he had solved the question for the first time, 

 

"The answer's pretty simple once you see the pattern. After the first number, each sequence is just describing what was in the last sequence. The first sequence was 1, so the next sequence is one- 1, and so forth. Here I'll right it out for you," Hoshi pulled a purple crayon from his pocket (to Jihoon's bewilderment) and explained out loud as he wrote his answer,

 

"1

one-1 (11)

two-1 (21)

one-2, one-1 (1211)

one-1, one-2, two-1 (111221)

three-one, two-2, one-1 (312211)

Easy peezy! As for the answer, the next sequence must be-"

 

"13112221." Jihoon answered, feeling a lot better now that he understood. Hoshi beamed,

 

"Right!" Jihoon had never seen the boy up close, but when he smiled, his whole face lit up. He didn't know how he felt about that.

 

"I don't think I could've figured that out on my own." Jihoon admitted. Maybe Hoshi was smarter than he'd previously deemed him to be. Hoshi fiddled with the crayon in his hand, 

 

"Why do you have that." He asked him. Hoshi looked at him as if the answer was obvious,

 

"It's my favourite colour." Jihoon had spoken too soon,

 

"You're hopeless."  

 

"That's You're hopeless _Hyung_ , to you." Hoshi replied playfully. Jihoon was taken aback,

 

"No way. How old are you?" Hoshi threw him a triumphant smile,

 

" 18."

 

" _Bullshit._ You're always hanging around those annoying freshmen." By that, he was referring to Chan, Hansol, and Seungkwan - but mostly Seungkwan, because that kid never stopped talking. Hoshi shrugged,

 

"I get along with people younger than me." Jihoon still wasn't convinced.

 

"Do they even call you hyung?"

 

"Oh - well they usually do, but I guess they got cocky since I never scold them about it if they forget." This guy was Jihoon's polar opposite. Hoshi stood up, stretching his limbs,

 

"Well, I guess my work here's done. Gotta go find Mingyu before - well you know how he is." Jihoon couldn't argue with that. Hoshi was already making his way back up the stairs when he called out to him,

 

"Hoshi hyung - thanks." He smiled brightly over his shoulder. Jihoon failed to notice the blush on Hoshi's face.

 

 

 


End file.
